Abstract:In view of the outcomes of the nationwide use of Putonghua promoted for over 60 years, this paper argues that Han speakers in different regions or with different dialects are aware of their local accent, thinking that it not only refl ects their ethnicity or regional identity but also indicates that the general public regard the common language as a nationwide lingua franca. Under the current circumstance in China, national language is not synonymous with individual’s mother tongue. Whereas the latter refers to the dialect being acquired naturally, the former is a result of heritage transmission by oral communication across different regions. The article attempts to differentiate Putonghua variation, i.e., Putonghua with an accent, which is widely used among the Han people, from interlanguage, second language or foreign language.
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